William donlok



,y UNITED STATES PATENT STOCK-RELEASING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent N0. 289,392, dated December4, 1883. ApplicationledJanum-y11,1883. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may con/cern:

"Be it known that I, WILLIAM DoNLoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Eden Prairie, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Stock-Re` leasing and Alarm Attachments to Barns, 85o.,

of which the following specication is a full, clear, and-exactdescription, reference being also had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- I Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a barn, showing the manner ofapplying my invention thereto when a `portion of the apparatus 4is usedoutside and a portion inside the barn. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of thebarn, showing the manner of connecting the releasing mechanisln to thehitching-straps of theanimals. Fig. 3is a perspective view,enlarged,of aportion of the hitching-strap-releasing mechanism, showing a portion ofthe hitching-strap secured thereto; and Fig. 4 is a similar view,showing a portion of the hitching-strap released. i Fig. 5 is a planview, and Fig. 6 is a front view, enlarged, of the fusible holdingrodtightener. I

ll'he invention may be applied either to the inside or outside, orpartially insideand partially outside, of barns and other ,places whereanimals are confined 5 and it consists in a series 4 of rods, wires,ropes, chains, or othersuitable devices provided at intervals withfusible joints adapted to be severed by fire or heat, arranged aroundthe barn, and connected at one endl to a spring, weight, or` othersuitable power, which the said chainsrods, or ropes are adapted to holdeither compressed or eX- tended, and connecting said spring 4or otherpower to the doors ofthe barn, and also to the bitching-straps orhalters ofthe animals, whereby in the event of the barn catching firetheV fusible jointed rods, ropes, &o.,wil1 be" severed,

release the springs, open the doors, and dis-` connect the animals fromtheir stalls and leave them free to escape. Y

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown a barn, VA, with thefusible jointed rods or chains arranged upon the outside, and with twostalls, B B2, for the animals, andone large door, C. The fusible jointedrod ais at- `the mangers G G2 of the' stalls B B2. -F passes out beyondthe stalls B B2, and is up over another pulley, fi, and thence along.

the opposite side of the roof to another pulley, c, and thence downaround pulleys m n r t u, and ending by being attached to the upper endof a p owerful spring, D,`connected to the end of the barn, alongside ofthe door C, the course of the fusible rod from the pulley e to thepulley k, and also from the pulley r to thepulley y n, being shown indotted lines, those portions of therods u being on the opposite side ofbarn from the point of observation of the drawings.

If the part u is made of a chain or rope, then it will easily run aroundthe pulleysI c d 6,850.; but if made of sections of iron rods, thensmall sections of chains or rope will be inserted at the points wherethe pulleys occur,andlat the end attached to the windlass b.

The windlass or 4tightener b` will be provided with a ratchet, o', anddog o2, (see F.igs.`5 and 6,) and if the windlass be revolved and thefusiblerod a wound upon it a short distance, the rod will be drawnaround `the barn and over the pulleys, and bend the spring D backwardand hold it in that position by the ratchet and dog n c2( i v A rod, E,with sections of` chains or a chain alone,will be attached to the upperend of the spring D on the opposite side fromthe rod u, and carriedalong over a pulley, x, down t0 another pulley, y, and thence throughthe end .of the barn, and attached to the end of a rod,

F',lying along the upper edge of the frontof This rod provided with aspring, -H, by which the rod F will be drawn backward away. fromthepulzley y, as hereinafter shown.

Attached rto theupper parts of each of the mangers G G2 are," two smallguides, z z2,

fthrough which the rod F passes, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4.y I y Attachedto the lower side ofthe ro'd F are two small catches orbolts, M, passingloosely through the guides z e2 just beneaththe'rodAIco F, as shown, so that when the rod F is drawn toward the pulley y bythe compression of the spring D by the wind] ass b the small bolts Mwill be also drawn through the guides z z2 and the spring H compressed,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and then when the spring D is released thespring H will draw the rod F and bolts M backward, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be readily seen that if the ring N of a hitching-strap, l), beinserted between the guides z z2, and the bolt M allowed to pass throughit, when the spring D is compressed, as shown in Fig. 3, the strap willbe rmly held fast to the manger, and the animal which is attachedthereto secured in the stall, but when the spring D is released,thebolts M will be withdrawn by the spring H and the animals released.

Attached to the door C is a catch or lug, T, over which a hook, T2,pivoted at one end to the barn A, is adapted to fall, and thus hold thedoor closed.

U is a chain or cord,of non-combustible material, connected at one endto the door G, on the opposite side from the catch T T2, and passingalong over a pulley, U2, and ending in a weight, U, by which means thedoor C will be opened when the hook T2 is lifted upward.

A chain or cord, of non-combustible material, V', is attached by one endto the hook T1", and passes upward through a pulley, V2, and thence tothe spring D, by which means the hook Tz will be raised up and bedisconnected from the door C by the reaction of the spring when it isreleased.

By this arrangement, when the barn catches iire, just as soon as thciiame or heat reaches any part of the rod or chain a and melts one ormore of its fusible joints, the spring D will be released, and thusenable the rod F to be V drawn backward by the spring H, unhitch theanimals from their stalls and leave them free, and at the same timeraise the latch or hook T2, and permit the door C to bc opened by theweight U3 and give the animals exit from the burning barn.

The fusible portions of the rods, chains, or ropes a may be made in anysuitable manner, either by soldering the ends of short metal rodstogether, where rods are used, or inserting fusible or other combustiblelinks or joints in the chain, when chains are used. Vhen ropes are used,they may be made smaller at short intervals, or weakened in any othermanner, and saturated with some iniiammable material. Ropes, however,are objectionable in some respects, as they become weakened by age, andare affected by the weather when exposed. Short metal rods solderedtogether at their ends, and with chains connecting them where they runover oraround the pulleys, will be the most practicable for the purpose.The fusible joints will be placed as close together as necessary-usuallyevery two or three feet-and the fusible rods will be arranged toencircle the building at all parts, so that the fire can only burn avery short time before severing some part of the rod, and thus cause thespring D to open the door C and unhitch the animals.

As before stated, the rods a may be arranged either inside or outsidethe building, or partially inside and partially outside.

A bell or gong, NV, is also arranged to be acted upon by the spring D,to give 'an alarm at the same time that the door is opened and theanimals released, so'that the attendants or other persons may benotified of the fire. The bell XV may be placed at a distance from thebarn, if desired, or near to or within the house or sleeping-apartmentsof the owner or others having charge of the barn.

The fusible rod a may be arranged to encircle and inclose the barn asmany timesas or in any manner desired, and may be connected to as manystalls or hitching-places as there are animals in the barn. y

The door-catch T T2 and the halter-catches c z2 M may be arranged to bedisconnected when not required, so as not to interfere with the ordinaryuses of the barn or its attachments.

Veights may be used in place of the springs D H, if desired, and springsmay be used in place of the weight U.

The door Gis shown as sliding; but ofcourse the apparatus is equallyapplicable to doors operated in any other manner.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claimis 1. The combination, with a stable or other place where animals areconfined, of a wind- IOO lass, b, rods, ropes, or chains a, havingfusible sections encompassing said stable, and connected by one end tosaid windlass and at the other end to a spring, D, pulleys over whichsaid rods, ropes, or chains are adapted to run when passing aroundangles, and a door, C, connected to said spring by a rope or chain and acatch, the latter adapted to be disconnected by the reaction of saidspring, whereby the parts co-operate in the manner and for the purposesubstantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a stable or otherv place where animals areconfined, of a windlass, b, rods, ropes, or chains a, having fusiblesections encompassing said stable, and connected by one end to saidwindlass and at the other end to a spring, D, pulleys over which saidrods, ropes, or chains are adapted torun when passing around angles, adoor, C, connected to said spring by a rope and catch, the latteradapted to be disconnected by the re` action of said spring, and meansfor connecting the hitching-straps of the animals with said spring,whereby the reaction of the spring will release the animals,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a stable or other place where animals areconfined, of a windlass, b, rods, ropes, or chains ci, having fusibleIIO sections encompassing said stable, and oonl In testimonyWhereofhavehereunto set my neetedat one end. to said wndlasS and at thehand-n presence of two subscribing Witnesses. other to a spring, D7pulleys over which said l T T rods, ropes, or chains are adapted to runwhen A TILLIAM DOB LOL' 5 turning angles, and an alarm, W, adapted toWtnesses:

be sounded by the reaction of said spring, sub- C. N. VOODWARD,

stanta-Hy as and fol1 the purpose set forth. LOUIS FEESER, Sr.

